Delivery and takeaway

The ability of operators in the pizza, pasta and Italian food business to off er delivery and takeaway has been encouraged and proved vital, as well as profi table, in recent times, sustaining both businesses and their customers in a trend that could establish itself further.

PAPA ADVICE

Back in April, as ‘lockdown’ set in, according to Offi ce for National Statistics’ Statistical bulletin (Consumer price infl ation, UK: April 2020), overall, food prices fell 0.1% between March and April this year. However, where fast food and takeaway services were available, the ONS observed price rises across a number of items - the largest monthly price rise of 7.3% coming from takeaway or delivery pizzas.

In line with government guidelines, the Pizza Pasta & Italian Food Association (www.papa.org.uk) is helping to make sure that businesses can operate safely in the current conditions by off ering delivery and takeaway guidance during Covid-19, as well as guidance for delivery drivers.

Aspects of importance include the maintenance of safe distances, hygienic food handling practices, effi cient order taking, good delivery logistics, as well as having the right insurance for delivery drivers, as standard business use insurance does not cover food delivery.

It is very diffi cult for food businesses to get delivery insurance for their drivers and therefore it may be necessary to get drivers themselves to take out their own cover, which they can do just for the time they are working. However, ownerdrivers may not be aware of this and so operators need to make this clear to their drivers. Thus, if your business does not normally do takeaways or deliveries, make sure that your business insurers are aware that you are now doing this.

BALANCING ACT

Although operators are now able to re-open their premises for a sit-down service, in the short to medium term, and in a time of great economic uncertainty, the chances are that many will decide to persist with, increase or focus solely on, their takeaway and delivery options.

As to whether or not this will become the predominant case for the pizza, pasta and Italian food sector remains to be seen. For many, it remains something of a juggling act as re-opening food businesses adjust to life post-lockdown.

“We’ve certainly seen stronger takeout and delivery sales than we normally would, and the support we’ve received from our local community has been fantastic,” report Oxford’s Mamma Mia’s, who switched to off ering delivery and takeout during lockdown.

Mamma Mia’s in Oxford report stronger takeout and delivery sales in recent times.

Delivery and click and collect have kept things going, but the theatre-style nature of pizza making is hard to beat.

“Beyond a few queues at busy times, we’ve coped well and feel that customers have been happy to accept the restraints that come with social distancing. We encourage our customers to warm their pizzas through in the oven for a few minutes when they get home and so far we’ve received nothing but positive feedback.

“At the same time, we have been constantly monitoring government advice and planning accordingly. We hope to be able to open both restaurants soon, but this will be dependent on the rules in place and also in being able to ensure correct staffing levels so that we can provide the service that we aspire to. Any changes in the restaurants will be dependent on social distancing rules, and as both of our restaurants are small, it may not be feasible to re-open fully if distancing constraints severely limit the number of diners we can allow in at any one time.”

“Click and collect and delivery services have kept our business running and our customers happy throughout lockdown. We even pivoted quickly and launched our own delivery service with our current members of staff,” says co-founder and co-owner of Purezza, Tim Barclay.

“However, we aren’t viewing this as our future. Whilst delivery and collection have always made up a large number of our customers, the vast majority have always been dine-in and we believe it’ll continue to be so. After all, our restaurants aren’t just about food. They’re experiential, and they provide a healthy dose of escapism and socialising. There’s nothing quite like the roaring theatre of the pizza oven, and the experience of the pizzas fresh from cooking.

“So, we’ve geared our future towards dine-in, and with ambitious redesigns of our restaurants have actually secured more seating than ever in both our Brighton and London branches.”

FRANCHISEES ADAPT

“We have issued guidelines and detailed information to our franchisees on how to keep their staff and customers safe during the current health crisis,” reports Phil Gaffer, QFP, franchise sales and business development manager Papa John’s UK.

“This has been our absolute priority as a business. One of the benefits of being a global organisation, is that we can use ‘lessons learned’ from the other countries we operate in around the world and this knowledge has been shared so best-practice approaches can easily be implemented,”

“At Papa John’s in the UK, we are fortunate to be able to support our communities by delivering hot food to those staying at home and to people in outdoor locations that are in line with government advice, all the while continuing to offer them great value for our top quality pizza made with the freshest, finest ingredients. However, processes have had to be updated to ensure social distancing rules can be observed at all times by staff. For some franchisees, this means they have needed to open earlier so staff have more time and space to move around the premises, for example.

“We have also introduced contactless delivery. Our pizzas are cooked in our ovens at 4500C, they go straight into the box and are sealed with our Quality Guarantee Seal sticker ready for customers to enjoy in their own homes. Our drivers call the customer when they are outside, place the order on top of an empty box and wait for the customer to collect it. We have also stopped cash payments and our franchisees are working on a delivery only model, so at the moment, customers can only order delivery pizza rather than visit our stores.

“Papa John’s Quality Control Centre (QCC) has and continues to do a sterling job. The team has ensured every delivery is fulfilled to all the stores throughout the UK while adhering to government guidelines on staff safety and engaging with suppliers. This has meant increasing the number of shifts at our dough factory to manage output safely. These guys are the engine of the business.”

POPULAR CHOICE

Early on when the pandemic hit, Dr. Oetker Professional (www.oetkerprofessional.co.uk) were quick to recognise the challenge many operators were now facing with the launch of a new and timely guide aimed at helping foodservice operators – and not just those already in the pizza and pasta world - get set up with takeaway and pizza delivery.

Their online support hub brings together valuable information on how businesses can tap into the booming delivery and takeaway market in the form of advice and downloadable guides for chefs and operators. As well as a three step guide to getting a takeaway and delivery pizza up and running (namely, choosing your takeaway partner, oven equipment and how to plan your delivery), there are also top tips to ensuring success, together with advice on team safety, licensing and marketing.

“The hospitality industry has been hit hard during the Covid19 outbreak

but we’re fighting back,” says Richard Cooper, senior brand manager, Dr. Oetker Professional (UK).

“Here at Dr Oetker Professional, we wanted to show businesses that delivery can be a solution to staying open in the current climates and long after the lockdown is over. Pubs and restaurants are now able to act as takeaways to deliver food, and pizza’s versatility and popularity can make it the ideal option. With our pizza expertise, we are here to support businesses when they need it the most and work together to help them succeed.”

The UK pizza market is worth £4.9billion according to 3EMI Global Pizza Market 2017 data, and Dr Oetker Professional’s Takeaway range features its very popular Chicago Town Takeaway brand which can help businesses stay ahead of the game, feel the company. This pizza’s signature tomato sauce, stuffed crust and rising dough offers pubs and restaurants alike a high quality takeaway pizza option that doesn’t require special ovens or pizza skills, point out the company, as well as customisation potential; its raw dough base also helping to deliver the taste of an authentically home-made pizza that can be delivered to the customer’s door.

“Dr Oetker Professional is proud to work closely with operators across the foodservice industry. We know pizza and how it can work for businesses especially during these uncertain times. With our invaluable knowledge, we feel that we can help advise businesses on everything from food packaging and ensuring the delivered product quality is as good as when it left the kitchen, to checking license permissions,” adds Richard Cooper.

During the pandemic, it’s been no surprise that Brits have turned to takeaway food for comfort, with pizza featuring in the top 10 of most popular foods, oberve the takeaway delivery platform, Foodhub. Their sales figures have confirmed that demand for pizza is up, with a 115% increase in orders since lockdown started, they report. Demand for delivered garlic bread was up to by 148% with fries, as a side, they add, a must for operators looking to boost sales, as they also feature heavily in Foodhub’s ‘top 10’.

Fish and chips topped the takeaway table (up 208%), they report, followed by Quarter Pounder Burgers (up 158%) as homebound Brits looked for ways to satisfy their taste for fast food. Other foods on the up when it came to takeaway and delivery in recent times included sausage and chips (up 152%), chicken burgers (up 147%) and Chicken Nuggets (up 146%). Pizza came in ninth place, and by adding a side of fries and you’ll be appealing to an even bigger fan base, suggest the platform.

Even in ‘normal’ times, chips, wedges and fries make up 60% of potato servings out of home, accounting for the lion’s share of both value and volume, and with most being sold through fast food outlets and pub restaurants according to ADHB UK FoodServiceReview November 2019 data.

However, many takeaway and home delivery operators have traditionally had a soggy problem to resolve in order to keep everyone satisfied, feel Lamb Weston, because fries don’t always travel well. However crisp, golden and delicious they might be at the restaurant, they invariably reach their destination cold and soggy, claim the company, who have developed a new concept called Hot2Home™ Fries to tackle the challenge.

Hot2Home keeps fries hot and crispy for an amazing 20 minutes, claim the company, having already wowed the industry since launching by scooping a Silver Award for Foodservice Best New Ingredient, Component or Accompaniment Product in the British Frozen Food Federation’s (BFFF) Product Awards 2019 and the Gold Award at the Casual Dining Show’s Innovation Challenge in 2019.

The Hot2Home concept features newly developed fries with a special ultra-thin starch coating (a closely-kept secret recipe, say Lamb Weston) to ensure they stay crispy and flavourful longer, together with patented packaging that works with the fries coating to stay hot and crispy for 20 minutes (skin on fries are available too, they point out).

Hot2Home are gluten-free and available in two cut sizes as a single product for dining in, or as part of the one-fry solution for home delivery and takeaway with the patented package. Their packaging has also been created with sustainability in mind with the wood used for the carton board being harvested under the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) and the greaseproof coating on the cardboard being also fully recyclable so that the consumer can dispose of the packaging at home.

PACKAGED TO GO

“As Brits now turn to their local café or restaurant for respite from the lockdown, many of our country’s pubs, bars, restaurants and cafés have initiated a home delivery or takeaway collection service to enable them to keep trading in recent times, as well as help support their local communities,” confirms Becci Eplett, marketing manager at packaging company, Huhtamaki UK.

“For many businesses who have never even considered takeaway food before, this has been a rapid learning curve and they have had to adjust to the new challenges quickly and safely.”

To help to meet the increased demand for quality takeaway and home delivery packaging that is suitable for a wide variety of food and drink, the team at Huhtamaki have put together a new Home Delivery Packaging Portfolio (www.foodservice. huhtamaki.co.uk).

This range comprises 55 products, some of which are brand new, just to meet the increasing demand, report the company. There is carton board packaging for hot serve, plus Huhtamaki’s innovative fluted board range which allows food to be heated in the pack, as well as paperboard cartons that are great for sauces, noodles or pasta and rPET tumblers with lids, and all aimed at takeaway or home delivery applications.

When adding, or switching to, a takeaway delivery service, operators need to ensure that their takeaway service doesn’t mean a loss of food quality, which is why delivery bags can help out in achieving restaurant-standard experiences, emphasise delivery bag company, Vollrath. Vollrath’s new range of food transport and delivery bags - available from Foodservice Equipment Marketing (FEM, www.fem.co.uk) – have been designed to maintain temperature longer and preserve the integrity of the transported food. The range includes pizza bags, tower bags, catering bags and food delivery backpacks, and all the bags have a moisture-resistant 8mm think foil liner and thick poly batting insulation on all sides, say FEM.

Velcro closing flaps and zipped lids provide extra insulation, while heat pads and portable battery packs on some models add heat during transport and extend the delivery radius and timescale.

Heavy-duty stitching and webbed handles provide a durable construction designed for longevity and to protect the contents of the bag. Sturdy bases ensure stability for easy loading and transportation. A clear plastic insert window offers opportunities for branding or product identification. The bags and inserts fold flat for easy storage and the vinyl liners are easy to wash and keep hygienically clean. There are three different levels of Vollrath bags available. The 3-Series offers the baseline; in these the hot food generates heat in the bag while the high-performance insulation helps retain the heat. The standard 5-Series features an integral heat pad that preheats the bag before use. Once at the required temperature, the heat pad can be unplugged for easy transportation or it can be connected via an optional 12V in-car power changer to continually heat the bag during transport.

The top of the range 5-Series has a heat pack and a power pack for greater flexibility. With five heat settings, operators can pre-heat the bag, and continue to heat it during transport without using a charger. Depending on setting and bag size, power pack charge will last from three to four hours. Between deliveries the included 12V in-car charger can be used recharge the lithium-ion battery power pack (list prices for the delivery bags start at £105 for the VDBM300).

“We have seen a huge upsurge in our Sweetheat pizza delivery bags over the last two months with many restaurants as well as takeaways starting home delivery,” reports Nazim Maniar, MD of Dewsburybased and PAPA-award winning hot bag company, Sweetheat Technology Ltd (www.sweetheat.co.uk).

Sweetheat heated delivery bags are easy to use, with no heating elements or wires, having been designed to hold food such as pizzas, curries, Piri Piri chicken and fish and chips at a constant 90°C during delivery service. The bags allow food to travel without sweating and condensation via unique, flexible heating elements contained inside the bags. These bags, which are tough and washable, can be heated with powered transformers supplied with three connections or with a fully assembled four or five tier shelving units.

As the heat is continuous, the food inside does not sweat, say Sweetheat. Instead, it stays at constant temperature, and is ready to serve to the customer as though it had just come out of the oven, claim the company. Their customers include restaurants, takeaways, pizzerias and meals on wheels services, including Center Parcs, Pepes Piri Piri, Tony Macaroni Italian Restaurants and Hertfordshire Independent Living.

DESSERTS DELIVERED

On starting up a home delivery or click and collect service, for many businesses in the Italian food sector this has meant main meals such as pizza or pasta, but desserts can be equally welcomed by customers who miss eating their favourite restaurant’s ice cream or gelato, suggest ice cream equipment company, Carpigiani.

“At the start of the lockdown, Carpigiani set up the Carpigiani Dessert Club,” says Joe Yates, trainer, demonstrator and development chef at Carpigiani UK. “This is a new, online experience formed to host a community of likeminded people looking to share knowledge and gain insight into the wonderful world of ice cream, gelato and associated delights.”

The Club launched with a series of free 30 to 60-minute webinars, and the first one saw Joe Yates demonstrating how independent producers could quickly access the profitable home delivery ice cream and gelato sector.

The webinar covered all the topics needed to get started in home delivery, from considering the delivery territory (local or national delivery), whether to engage with a partner such as Deliveroo, UberEATS, Just Eat etc. or to use a company delivery vehicle and driver, delivery fees, range available and suitable packaging, as well as the promotional methods used to drive the delivery business. As many businesses now start to re-open their doors, home delivery could remain as a profitable, additional sales opportunity, suggest Carpigiani (https:// www.carpigiani.co.uk/dessert-club/).